Frequently EUphobes insist that in 1975 the UK public was deceived about whether the European Community was a political union or not.

We know that Harold Wilson made it quite clear to Parliament in 1967 that the UK was joining with political as well as economic objectives.

Recently some “Leave” campaigners have suggested that, because Hansard was not generally available prior to the Internet, the proceedings of the Houses of Parliament did not constitute telling the public what the European Community was really about.

But the record of the parliamentary proceedings is not the only evidence that the facts about the political and economic nature of the European Community were available in 1975.

As part of the 1975 referendum, Government, “Yes” campaign and “No” campaign pamphlets were distributed to UK households.

In particular, the 1975 “No” campaign pamphlet made it very clear that the question of being in or out of the European Community was at least as much political as economic.

The headline for the “No” campaign pamphlet was:

THE RIGHT TO RULE OURSELVES The fundamental question is whether or not we remain free to rule ourselves in our own way

So next time somebody says the European Community was not a political union ask them to have a look at the 1975 campaign literature.